CarolineTirakian

2/21/17
VisualizationLessonPlan

Subject:ReadingandComprehension
Activity:Visualization
Setting:FirstGradeclassroom
#ofStudents:25(6ESLstudents,3otherswithIEPsforHIandSLP)

ThiswasalessonthatIdesignedandimplementedinmystudentteachinginternshipplacementin
February,whichfocusedonteachingstudentstechniquesandskillstovisualizeandcreateamentalimage
whiletheyread.Duringthisunitstudentshavebeenfocusingonavarietyofcomprehensionstrategiesto
usewhilereadingavarietyoftexts.

AlignedStandard:

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.1.4
Identifywordsandphrasesinstoriesorpoemsthatsuggestfeelingsorappealtothesenses.

Objectives:
Thislessonisdesignedtoestablishtheskillofvisualizingforprimarystudents,usingthepoemGreenGiant
byJackPrelutsky.Inthislesson,studentsusecluesfromthetexttocreatetheirownimagesandimaginehow
charactersarethinkingandfeeling.Studentsshouldalreadyhavesomefamiliaritywiththeconceptof
visualizing.Forstudentstobeabletousevisualizationasacomprehensionstrategy,theyneedtoimaginewhat
isdescribedinthetext.
Whilereadingstudentswillbeabletoaccuratelyidentify80%ofthewords/phrasesinthepoemthatsuggest
feelingsandappealtothefivesenses.

Materials:
Mysterybox(forseashell)
Seashell
StudentsIndividualWritingJournals
PoemGreenGiantbyJackPrelutsky
Crayons/markers/pencils(instudentpencilboxes)

Opening:
Calltoattentionusedthroughoutthelesson:
TeacherMacandcheese
o StudentsEverybodyFreeze
TeacherBumbumbudumbum
o StudentsEyesup

*Studentsmorningworktasksarealwaysdisplayedontheprojectorastheycomein,andtheyhavetocomplete
45tasksbeforethedaystarts

ActivatePriorKnowledge:Thisactivitywillbepartofmorningworktoseewhatstudentsalreadyknow
aboutdescribinghowanobjectlooks/feelsthroughtheirwriting

Writtendirectionswithpicturecueswillbeprojectedonthemorningworkpowerpointatthefrontof
theroom,anddirectionswillbepresentedverbally.
o Comefeelwhatisinthemysteryboxwithoutlookingandmakeapictureinyourmindof
whatyouthinkitmightlooklike.Writedown3thingsdescribingwhatitfeelslike,orwhat
 youthinkitmightlooklike.
Whilestudentsareworkingindependentlyontheirmorningworktheywillbeinstructedtocomeover
tothemysteryboxtotouchandholdtheobjectintheboxasoneoftheirmorningjobs
o Studentsarenotabletoseetheobject,buthavetovisualizeitintheirheadsbasedonwhatthey
feel
Studentsthenhavetoreturntotheirdesksandwrite3things(23sentences)intheirWritingJournals
describinghowtheyarevisualizingthemysteryitemusingdescriptivelanguage.Theycanalsodrawa
picturetogowiththeirwriting

MeasurableObjectives

Explaintoyourclassthatyouwanttohelpthembecomebetteratcreatingpicturesintheirmindsbased
onthetexttheyread.Explainthatattheendofthelesson,you'llchecktoseeiftheirabilitytovisualize
hasimproved.

DifferentiationandAccommodations:

OnestudentwithanIEP,whoreceivesservicesforahearingimpairmentandresourceroomservicesfora
specificlearningdisabilityinreadingandmath,willbeexpectedtowrite3adjectives/phrasesorpartial
sentences.
OnestudenthasfinemotorskilldelaysandIwillaccommodatehimbydictatinghisthoughtsusingahigh
lighter,andhewilltraceovermywriting
Iwillgivedirectionsmultipletimes,bothverballyandvisually,writtenontheboard
IwillindividuallymonitorESLstudentsasImwalkingaroundandinformallyassessthemtochecktheir
comprehensionoftheassignment
Technologywillbeutilizedasatoolfordeliveringinstructiontoallstudents
Studentswillbelearningwholegroup,withpartners,andindividually

Presentation
After10minutes,studentswillbeexpectedtohavecompletedallothermorningworktasksandIwillcallall
studentstotherugwiththeirpersonalWritingJournalsandtheirthoughts

Opener:

Have34studentssharewhattheywroteunderthedocumentcameraandexplainwhytheyvisualizedit
thatway(i.e.Ithinkitwasarockbecauseitwashardandbumpy).
Sitatthefrontoftheroomandholdupthebox,havestudentsaskquestionsaboutwhattheysaw.
Havestudentsclosetheireyesanduseverydescriptivelanguagetodescribetheseashellwithoutgiving
awaythenameofit.Havestudentspracticemakingamentalimageintheirheadsofaseashellona
beach.
Discusshowwordsanddetailscanhelpusmakepicturesinourminds.Wordscanappealtoour
sensesandhelpusvisualizewhatwearereadingtounderstandthetextbetter
Showstudentstheshellandhaveaclassroomdiscussionofhowtheactualobjectmatchesupwithwhat
theypicturedintheirheads

MakeaVisualizationAnchorchartwithstudents:
Studentsshouldbefamiliarwiththe5senses,butcallonstudentstoremindtherestoftheclasswhat
theyare.

Anchorchart(pictureswillbedrawnaswellastext)
Visualization
o IcanidentifywordsinstoriesorpoemstovisualizewhatishappeninginthestorywhileIread.
 o WhatdoIsee?Whatdoesitlooklike?
o WhatamIhearing?Whatdoesitsoundlike?
o Whatdoesitsmelllike?
o Whatdoesittastelike?
o Whatdoesitfeellike?

GuidedPractice:

Studentsarestillseatedattherug

NowwearegoingtoreadaloudthepoemTheGreenGiantbyJackPrelutsky,whichisaboutaGiantnamed
Sam.WhilewearereadingIwantyoutopicturewhatSammightlooklike,whathemightbewearing,whathe
mightsoundlike.Pretendthestoryislikeamovieinyourhead.
1sttime:StudentswilllistenandIwillreadpoemaloudandprojectitonthescreen,Iwillbefollowing
alongwithmyfinger.
2ndtime:Studentswillchoralreadthepoemwithme

NowIwantyoutoreturntoyourseatsanddrawapictureofwhatyoumightthinkSamlookslike.Youwill
have2minutes.Useatleast3colorsandmakesureyouaddsomedetails(therewillbestudentswhorushand
drawin10secondswithoutaddingeffort,andotherswhowouldtakeanhourtocolorifIletthem).Coloryour
pictureanddonottalktoyourneighbororworryaboutwhattheyarecoloringbecausesomeofusmightbe
picturingSamdifferentlythanourneighbors.

IndividualPractice:
Studentswillbeindependentlydrawingapicturetomatchthementalimageintheirheadfromthe
story
Studentswillhave2mintocompleteandthenreturntotherugwiththeirjournals
IwillreadaloudpoemoncemoreasIamwalkingaroundandassessingstudentsdrawings

Closing
Bringstudentsbacktowholegroupatthecarpet
Studentsareveryfamiliarwithturnandtalksharing,butmodelthestrategywithanotherstudentin
frontofthewholegroupagain
Havestudentsturnandtalkwithsomeoneseatednexttothemontherugandhavethemsharewhat
theydrewandWHYtheydrewit
CallonafewstudentstosharetheirimageofSamandexplaintheirthinking
o Whydidyoudrawthis?Whyisyourpicturethiscolor?
o Promptstudentstousehigherorderthinking;Idrew________becauseitsaid________in
thetext.

Assessment:
Studentdrawingsofwhattheyvisualizedwhilereadingthepoemwillbeassessed
o Iamassessingwhetherornotstudentsdrawapicturethat(somewhat)matchesthetextand
isntarandomdrawing
o Iamassessingwhetherornotstudentscanjustifytheirdrawingswithevidencefromthepoem
o Iamassessingtoseeifallstudentscompletethetaskintheallottedtimewithoutdistractions
o Iamassessingwhetherornotstudentsmakereferencestothetextwhentheyexplaintheir
drawings(i.e.Icoloredhissocksyellowbecausethestorysaidhissockswereyellowas
lemons.)

EnrichmentandApplicationofStrategies:
 Followingthisvisualizationminilesson,studentswillbeaskedtogathertheirbookbaggiesandread
booksoftheirchoiceindependentlyfor15minuteswhilepracticingthiscomprehensionstrategyand
visualizingtheplot,setting,andcharactersintheirbooks
o Studentseachhaveacollectionof610leveledbooksbasedontheirindependentreadinglevels
inindividualizedbaggies,bothfictionandnonfictionbooks
o Studentshavebeentaughttheskillstoreadindependentlyandpracticeindependentlyreading
dailyinordertoimprovetheirreadingstaminaandbuilduponthesereadingskillslearnedeach
day
Studentswillbestoppedafter15minutesandfindtheirassignedreadingpartnertoreadtotheir
partners.Studentsarepairedupwithpartnerswhoareatthesame(orclosetothesame)readinglevel
asthembasedonTeachersCollegeRunningRecordsandotherformativeassessmentdata.Their
partnerschangeevery34weeksdependentonthestudentsgrowthinreadinglevels.
o Thestudentwhoseturnitistoreadwillbechallengedtoreadafictionbookfromtheirbagsto
theirpartnerwithoutshowingthemtheillustrations.Thepartnerwhoislisteningtothestory
willpracticevisualizingthestoryandexplainingwhattheypicturedwiththeirpartner.Students
willengageinadiscussionwiththeirpartnersaboutwhattheyvisualized.Thenthepartners
willswitchturnsreadingandlistening/visualizing.

ReflectionandPlanning
Tocontinueworkingonvisualizing,Iwillpointoutdescriptivelanguageintextsstudentsarereading.Iwill
pauseduringparticularlyvividpassagesduringfuturereadaloudstohelpstudentsarticulatethepicturesthey
arecreatingintheirmindsastheylisten.Encouragestudentstousedescriptivetextintheirownwritingandto
visualizetheimagestheywanttorelateaspartoftheprewritingprocess.Withstudentswhoarestruggling
withthisconcept,Iwillhavethemvisualizetextsthatareclearandverydescriptiveuntiltheyarecompetentat
visualizingconcretescenes.Thenprogresstomoreabstractvisualizations,imaginingthemselvesascharacters
inthetextaswelearnaboutcharactertraitsanddevelopment.